Govt names Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat as new Army Chief, Air Marshal B.S. Dhanoa as new IAF Chief

The government on Saturday announced the name of Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat as the new Chief of the Army Staff and Air Marshal B.S. Dhanoa as the new Chief of Air Staff.

Lt. Gen. Rawat has remarkable experience of serving in combat areas and at various functional levels in the Indian Army over the last three decades.

He has handled various operational responsibilities in many areas, including along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, and in the North-East.

He is known for his balanced approach towards soldiering, compassion, and his connect with the civil society.

According to sources, Lt. Gen. Rawat was found the best suited to deal with emerging challenges, including a reorganized and restructured military force in the north; continuing terrorism and proxy war from the west, and the situation in the North-East.

Lt. Gen. Praveen Bakshi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Indian Army's Eastern Command at Kolkata, and the senior most General to succeed Dalbir Singh, was superseded in the appointment.

And Air Marshal Dhanoa was commissioned into the fighter stream of the IAF in June 1978. He has served in various squadrons, and in the Intelligence Directorate of Air Headquarters.